Improvement in district and fire-alarm telegraphs



2 Sheets--Sheet1. 1. H. GUEST.

District and Fire-Alarm Telegraphs. No. 143,344, PatentedSeptember30,1873.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

WWW/Mu 2 Sheets--Sheet2.

1. n. GUEST.

District and Fire-Alarm Telegraphs. No. 143,344, Patented September30,1873.

F1 5 Ill/2;

INVENTOR:

AM FHUTUUTHOFRAPH/C 6'0. M )1 mas/2:155 mxsrn UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. GUEST, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT m DISTRICT AND FIRE-ALARM TELEGRAPHS,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,344, datedSeptember 30, 1873; application filed September 22, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, JOHN H. Guns'r, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements inElectro-Magnetic Alarms, of which the following is a specification:

.. such automatic instruments may be made, in

any customary manner, of metal or with breakable mercurial bulbs. Forthe purpose of illustration, and in order to show one mode of carryingout my invention, I show and describe a form of signal-instrument, whichconstitutes the subject of a separate application. The present inventionconsists in combining, with the closed circuit of a district-alarm ofany form, automatic signalinstruments, which,

in their normal condition, afi'ord an electric connection, so as to forma part of, and not interfere with, the said closed circuit of theordinary alarm.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of myautomatic circuit and bellalarm Fig. 2, a top view, partly in section onthe line 00 w, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a mode ofintroducing automatic signal-instruments into the closed circuit of adistrict alarm-telegraph.

A represents a bracketed shelf, to which the clock-train B, of the usualconstruction, is attached. B is a bell, which is attached above theclock-train. G is the hammer,'the staff of which is connected to theshaft of the escapement a. E is the key, which is applied to the shaftof the mainspring, and serves for the double purpose of winding up aclock-train and holding the circuiting-wheel b in place. Thecircuiting-wheel b is notched in such a manner that the building indanger is indicated, by the interruption of the circuit as registered,by means of a relay and register in the usual manner at the station. Aspring, 01, is connected by a set-screw, e, and wire, w, to one pole ofthe circuit, while the clock is connected by wire 10 to the other pole.The curved end of spring (1 passes along the periphery ofthecircuiting-wheel b, and keeps the circuit closed as long as theclock-train is at rest, interrupting the circuit when in motion by theaction of the notches. A bent wire, 9, is applied to the staff of thehammer and rests against a hook on the extension of the upper arm of awire spring, F, which is applied, by a set-screw, h, to an uprightpillar, G, of shelf A. The forks or arms of the spring F clasp thealarm-thermostat or indicator H, which consists of a bulb of glass orother frangible material containing mercury, spirits, or other liquidexpansible by heat. The lower end of the thermostat H rests on anadjustable setscrew, i, by which the height of the thermostat and thecontinuous contact of the upper arm and wire 9 are secured, and therebythe clock-train held in check. As long as all the springs 01 are inunbroken contact with the circuiting-wheels, a completely closed circuitis established with the buildings connected and with the station. If, inany one of the buildings, the thermostat should either burst orotherwise indicate the presence of .fire or undue heat, so that theconnection of the wire spring and clock-train is disturbed, the latterwill immediately be set in motion, and communicate this fact, not onlyto the occupants of the buildings by the ringing of the bell, but alsoto the station by the interruption of the circuit. If the instrument isused without electrical connection, the alarm will be given by theaction of the bell merely, forming thereby the cheapest instrument forindicating fire, and one which will always be in working order withoutrequiring special care or attention.

The instrument above described forms the subject of a separateapplication. In carrying out my present improvement any other form ofautomatic signal-instrument may be employed, which will be adapted inits normal condition to form a part of the closed circuit of a districtalarm-telegraph.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that each of-my automaticsig11al-i11struments may form part of a closed circuit, the circuitbeing normally closed through the automatic signal-instrument itself.

I11 Fig. 3 I have illustrated a mode of introducing any desired numberof such automatic signal-instruments, E E, into the circuit of manualsignal-boxes S S, which latter may be of any of the usual forms. Theautomatic instruments E E E are supposed to be placed one in each roomof a house, and the instruments E E one in each room of another house,the manual signal-boxes S S being placed one in each house, as usual.The signature or signal of all the signal-wheels E E E in one house maybe alike, being indicated in this illustration by two notches in thesaid wheels. The signal-wheels E E of another house are adapted to giveanother signal, as indicated by three notches in each. In practice, thesignals produced automatically by the wheels E E, will be distinguishedfrom those turned in through the boxes S S, by arranging the Wheels E Eto make a larger number of revolutions, or in any other suitable manner.L may represent a battery, and M an electromagnet, in the central officeof a district alarmtelegraph. Itwill be observed that the circuitthrough the automatic signal-instruments be- .ing normally closed theintroduction of the said instruments does not interfere in any mannerwith the operation of the ordinary signalboxes S S.

The following is claimed as new:

The combination, with a district-alarm signal-box or series thereof, ofone or more alarm mechanisms operated directly through changes oftemperature, and arranged in the normallyclosed circuit of such alarmsignal-boxes.

The above specification of my improvement in electromagnetic alarmssigned this 20th day of September, 1873;

I J. H; GUEST.

Witnesses OOTAVIUS KNIGHT, WALTER ALLEN.

